Movie offers glimpses of Prophet Muhammad
Here in this Persian replica of Mecca, built at the cost of millions of dollars, an Iranian film company is attempting to offer the world a literal glimpse of the Prophet Muhammad despite traditional taboos against it.
The movie Muhammad, Messenger of God already recalls the grandeur — and expense — of a Cecil B. DeMille film, with the narrow alleyways and a replica Kaaba shrine built here in the remote village of Allahyar. But by even showing the back of the Prophet Muhammad as a child before he was called upon by Allah, the most expensive film in Iranian history already has been criticized before its even widely released, calling into question who ultimately will see the Quranic story come to life on the big screen.
“How should ( I) introduce our prophet?” asked Majid Majidi, the film’s director. “Many relay their messages to the world through cinema and pictures.”
In Hollywood cinematic history, films involving the Bible often find the biggest audience and box office returns. Biblical stories have inspired dozens of films from the 1920s all the way to recent blockbusters like Noah starring Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott’s biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings.
But in Islam, portraying the Prophet Muhammad has long been taboo for many. Islamic tradition is full of written descriptions of Muhammad and his qualities — describing him as the ideal human being. But clerics generally have agreed that trying to depict that ideal is forbidden.
But while Sunni Islam, the religion’s dominant branch, widely rejects any depictions of Muhammad, his close relatives or companions, Shiite Islam doesn’t. In Shiite powerhouse Iran and other countries, posters, banners, jewelry and even key chains bear the images of Muhammad’s son- inlaw Ali, revered by Shiites who see him as the prophet’s rightful successor. The late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, who led Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and later became the country’s supreme leader, reportedly even kept a picture similar to young Muhammad in his room for years.
In the new 190- minute film, the story focuses on Muhammad’s childhood, never showing his face. The movie instead focuses on others to tell his story, like his paternal grandfather Abdul- Muttalib, portrayed by Iranian actor Ali Reza Shoja Nouri.
“It was a very heavy role,” Nouri says. “I cannot express my feelings about it.”
For his vision, Majidi hired Academy Award winning visual effects supervisor and filmmaker Scott E. Anderson, three- time Oscar- winning Italian director of photography Vittorio Storaro and music producer Allah- Rakha Rahman, who won two Academy Awards for his work on Slumdog Millionaire.
By making a high- quality film, Majidi said it will give the world the right impression about the Prophet Muhammad. He blamed Islamic extremists and the West for sullying the image of a pillar of faith for 1.5 billion people across the world.
“For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad is a mercy to the world and the hereafter,” he said.
Yet, the film already has seen widespread criticism even before being widely released, largely from predominantly Sunni Arab countries.